Taking the plunge. Selling BBQ!

1/3 lb. pulled pork sandwich with slaw and pickles $4.49. We sell about 300 per day. Pork is where the money is at, the price has dropped to $1.10 this week.
Jeff Therrell
Sweetfire BBQ
Lincolnton NC

Jeff Therrell said:

1/3 lb. pulled pork sandwich with slaw and pickles $4.49. We sell about 300 per day. Pork is where the money is at, the price has dropped to $1.10 this week.
Jeff Therrell
Sweetfire BBQ
Lincolnton NC

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Jeff where are you buying butts? I'm paying $2.08lb through US Foods. Are buying fresh or frozen? Thanks

Good Lawd, you're going to try selling BBQ in Susanville?

A lot depends on what amount of leftovers you have and what kind of menu you have. Some will run specials on chili or Brunswick Stew to get rid of leftover chicken or pork. Beef of course, works well in chili, and my favorite, BBQ spaghetti.

If you were Chinese or Japanese, you would know that what you do with your restaurant leftovers is feed your family, until they resent the very fabric and core of your business. :heh:

landarc said:

Good Lawd, you're going to try selling BBQ in Susanville?

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LOL! That was my thought. Maybe he's in Truckee.

HBMTN said:

Jeff where are you buying butts? I'm paying $2.08lb through US Foods. Are buying fresh or frozen? Thanks

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I just bought picnics for 0.94 a lb, and bone in butts for $1.14 at the restaurant depot in Charlotte

HBMTN said:

Jeff where are you buying butts? I'm paying $2.08lb through US Foods. Are buying fresh or frozen? Thanks

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I'm buying fresh butts from South Mountain Farms in Lawndale NC. He told me yesterday that they would be cheaper next week. I don't buy anything from US foods anymore, we use Reinhart Foods out of Johnson City TN. My rep told me they had butts for the same as I was paying, but I only get an order from him twice a week and my South mountain comes every day and I get all the rest of my meat from him as well.
Thanks, Jeff

Traditionally, brisket has been a tough sell in California, but, that has changed over the past 5 years, and you certainly can sell a lot, with just a little advertising. Ribs and pulled pork are still the biggest sellers. And to be honest, most Californians still possess crappy BBQ palates. Still, brisket is hot and fashionable, advertise up front for a week or two.

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I agree. It it slowly changing. But it's hard to tune your BBQ palate when you can't find a consistent BBQ joint here in my area. As stated before, there's a lot of tr tip here and folks get burned out on it unless it's something special. I smoke my tri tip using unconventional rubs and marinades just to be different and have not had one complaint. I have not grilled a tri tip in a long time.

I was kidding, and in truth, the more I thought about it, the more I think it makes sense. It is beef country though, folks up there will want to see beef on the menu. And in truth, there is some fine beef that comes from just north of there.

I can see it working, there are enough folks making money up there to make a run at it. Nothing fancy, sling good simple BBQ, you will do fine I bet.

landarc said:

Incidentally, brisket sandwiches are a good way to get $25 a pound for brisket. You can sell a brisket sandwich with 4 ounces of meat for around $8 to $10 in the metro areas pretty easily. Toss in a cheap soda and tiny bag of chips and you are up to $12 a sandwich.

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You will not survive here in Texas long if you don't sell brisket. Which means, with prices being what they are, well I just may not survive long, but it's coming up on 18 months so something must be going right.

I've tried and tried to implement a "pork plan", we've even done several whole hogs but other than the pork ribs or sausage, the first words out of everyone's mouth is.. "brisket". So the strategy above is very similar to what I use.

Saturday's it's typical meat market fare - "by the pound". Sunday, I roll to a "sandwich sunday".. $8 per sandwich at 1/3lb per sandwich. Folks still order by weight, but it won't be on the menu on Sunday's.

I'd say stick with your plan since this does not seem your quitting your day job. Aaron Franklin started out with one brisket a day. The worst thing you wan't to happen is to be listening to the crickets at closing time Saturday and your sitting on a bunch of un sold beef.

They key to selling lots of brisket.. cook good brisket - consistently

Best of luck!